Hickory – The 2022 Eat, Drink Be Local Festival will run from June 18-25th and include farm tours, workshops, cooking demonstrations at the Hickory, Conover and Public Health farmers markets, the grand opening of Raising Roots Farm and a Farm Feast also at Raising Roots Farm. All events are free except for the Jun Fermentation Workshop ($10 Eventbrite) and the Farm Feast ($30 Simpletix). For more information and links to ticketing, visit https://catawba.ces.ncsu.edu/eat-drink-and-be-local/ or call NC Cooperative Extension- Catawba Center at 828-465-8240.

For more information about supporting local food businesses, visit catawbacountyfood.com.

Schedule of Events
Saturday, June 18, 10-12:00pm Cooking demonstrations at Hickory and Conover Farmers Market
Monday, June 20, 6:30pm Farm tour at Free Folk Pastures, 4168 County Home Rd. Conover
Tuesday, June 21, 6:00pm Farm tour at Catawba Mushroom Partners, 2780 Rosewood Lane, Newton
Wednesday June 22, 10-12pm Cooking demonstration at Hickory Farmers Market
Thursday, June 23, 11-1pm Cooking demonstration at Public Health Farmers Market
Thursday, June 23, 3-4pm Backyard Poultry with Rose Pennigton at NC Cooperative Extension, 1175 S. Brady Ave. Newton
Saturday June 25, 1-4pm Grand Opening of Raising Roots Farm
6-9pm- Farm Feast at Raising Roots Farm, 2711 Snow Creek Rd. NE, Hickory. $30 Tickets through Simpletix https://bit.ly/3zds6Qz

The highlights of the week will be the Grand Opening of Raising Roots Farm on Saturday during the day and the Eat, Drink, Be Local Farm Feast in the evening. The Raising Roots Grand Opening from 1-4pm will be a free, family friendly event with all you can eat hamburger sliders, pulled pork Philly cheesesteaks, Frito pie with pork and beef chili con carne, pinto bean soup, cornbread and andouille dip available for $15. Music will be provided by Shelby Ray Moore from 1-3pm and a farm tour will be offered at 3:30pm ending with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Veterans Garden.

The Farm Feast from 6-9pm is a ticketed event for $30 with a menu created by local Chef Ben Sullivan which will include three kinds of tacos: pulled pork mojo criollo, skirt steak asada, and lamb barbacoa. Sides will be a consommé soup with rice and chickpeas, beans and rice, a carrot/radish escabeche salad with a lime and cilantro vinaigrette, panzanella salad with cornbread, fresh greens, tomatoes, pintos and cheese, a tomato salad with salsa verde and an herbed garlic vinaigrette, and a cucumber salad. Dessert will be a strawberry margarita cobble with pina colada ice cream. Music will be by the Justin Clyde Williams Band and beer, wine, cider and specialty cocktails will be available for purchase for anyone over 21 years old.

Tickets are available through Simpletix: https://bit.ly/3zds6Qz.